I signed up for the JLPT N1 again, and for classes at JOI. Meanwhile, I ditched Anki for now, and I’m working on improving my reading speed. We’ll see if there’s any change!
[Read the rest!]N1, Take Three
Another year, another N1. I feel okay about how I did. If I passed or failed, I’m sure it was close either way. (I hope I passed!) In general, I’m going to focus more on writing to improve my Japanese, as well as reading “meatier” stuff, like literature, as opposed to light novels. That sort of thing. Heading home tomorrow morning. Also, my hotel room is creepy.
[Read the rest!]Off to DC
Traffic was heavy on the way to DC today. I made it safely to my hotel, and studied some. I’ll study some more in the morning, then go take the N1.
[Read the rest!]Thanksgiving, Black Friday, N1 Coming
We had a nice Thanksgiving. Then I went deal hunting on Friday, all while getting ready for the N1 on Sunday. I’m leaving for DC on Saturday.
[Read the rest!]Man, that was nerve-wracking. Part two of the A+ exam was trickier than I thought it would be. I know a lot of this stuff just because I’ve been messing around with computers all my life. I’ve built every computer I’ve used for the last 20 years. (Except for laptops.) But if you ask me
[Read the rest!]A+ Part One: Pass!
Passed the first part of my A+ Certification. Woot. Now I have to get ready for my sis and nephew’s visit this weekend. Part two is in ten days. Gotta hustle!
[Read the rest!]Anki Assault / Piano Practice
I’m dumping tons of new content into Anki now, which I’ve finally upgraded to 2.0. The upgrade wasn’t that bad. And I’ll need it for the N1 and A+ exams. Greenshot and e.Typist are making my exam prep a lot easier, too, helping me OCR stuff and dump it into Anki. Also, the piano class is a lot of fun.
[Read the rest!]Music School
This fall is going to be hectic. I’m going to take a couple of music classes at UNC’s new Community Music School. I’ll also be preparing for the N1, and getting ready for the Boston Career Forum by getting my A+ certification. Somewhere in there, I’m going to need time to breathe!
[Read the rest!]Progress Report
I bring up a lot of ideas for personal projects… so what’s going on with them? Well, some are moving forward, and some are on the shelf for now. GTD helps me figure out what I have the energy and time to work on, and what I don’t.
[Read the rest!]Headed to Asheville
I’m headed to Asheville for a few days to help the folks out. Also, JOI is pretty good so far. I’m pleased with the classes and the pricing.
[Read the rest!]Grabbing the N1 Bull by the Horns
My calligraphy class in Raleigh has ended for good, unfortunately. So to fill that gap, I’m going to try taking some online classes at the Japanese Online Institute, which has an online speech/chat/whiteboard way of group learning for pretty reasonable prices.
[Read the rest!]Another December, Another Try at the N1. (Day Two.)
The N1 was a bear again. After the bear mangled me, I went to Georgetown for a bit, then headed back to the hotel. I’ll be heading home tomorrow.
[Read the rest!]DC and the JLPT (Day One)
I made it to Washington, DC today for tomorrow’s JLPT N1 exam. I listened to podcasts on the drive up.
[Read the rest!]N is for Nagoya and N is for N1
I went to Aichi Gakuin University in Nisshin to take the JLPT N1, then did a little shopping in Nagoya. This was my first try at the N1, and it was a bear.
[Read the rest!]Candy Ensures Exam Success
Lots of testing today: listening, grammar, and re-submitting my essay from last week. Also, good luck/bad luck superstitions around tests in Japan are pretty popular.
[Read the rest!]Postcards From the JBPP Edge, How to Read Japanese Food Labels

Final exam for N1 grammar, tests on Wednesday, and we’re learning how to mail letters in JBPP.
[Read the rest!]Running to Nagoya Castle

After hearing about an out-of-season blooming cherry tree at Nagoya Castle, I decided to go and check it out after classes ended.
[Read the rest!]The Daily AIJP/JBPP Life
It’s already time to pick electives! AIJP/JBPP take up a lot of time, so I’m not going to have a whole lot of choice in that area. Also, my classes are incredibly diverse!
[Read the rest!]This was my first full day in Tokyo. I started with the hotel buffet for breakfast. 1,200 yen for all you can eat, either Western or Japanese style. Some of the Western stuff is a little odd, but it’s good enough for me. Plenty of yogurt, and a decent strawberry sauce. Other stuff was available,
[Read the rest!]JLPT Pass!
As part of my trip to Japan to study at Okazaki, an important part of my plan is to take either the N2 again (if I failed it) or N1 (if I passed it.) The deadline to apply is 9/30/11, and by 9/16, I still didn’t have my results from London. I guess going over
[Read the rest!]JLPTeed Off
Well, today was the big test. The one I traveled 3,940 miles and paid a few thousand dollars for. I honestly don’t think I did any better than I did when I took it in December. So very frustrating. I know my Japanese is better. I know I can speak better, and listen better, and
[Read the rest!]Updates on Learning Japanese, Word Lists, and iPhone stuff
Things have been hectic. I decided to start taking JLPT exam prep classes offered at the NC Japan Center, and I find that that has been helping me to focus on acquiring new vocabulary and grammar. For some reason or another, I had gotten a bit bogged down doing the self-study thing. Maybe it’s just
[Read the rest!]